PLOT: Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a deeply troubled New Yorker, in the throws of an out-of-control sex addiction. While at work, he spends his days watching internet porn, and sneaking off to the washroom to masturbate. At home, he feeds his addictions with one-night-stands, hookers, and massive amounts of porn. His situation escalates when his troubled sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) comes to visit.
REVIEW: I think it’s safe to say that after it’s debut at the Venice Film Festival (where it netted Michael Fassbender the award for best actor), there was no film coming into TIFF with more controversy. All but guaranteed an NC-17 for all the full-frontal nudity, and graphic sex, director Steve McQueen (who previously directed Fassbender in the no less controversial HUNGER) asked the audience at the public screening I saw this with to forget all the controversy, and just “look” at the film- meaning, I wager, to let go of the baggage and form our own opinions.
It’s suggested that both Brandon and his sister Sissy are damaged from a childhood of what I presume was constant sexual abuse, but it’s left ambiguous. Their relationship is extremely uncomfortable, with Sissy thinking nothing of walking in on a masturbating Brandon, or crawling naked into bed with him. Brandon tries to maintain his boundaries, but he has trouble, and in a spectacularly acted scene, he has a tantrum while being forced to listen to his sister having sex with his married, self-styled player boss in his own bedroom.
However, it’s wildly different from Cassavetes in one sense, in that visually it’s very polished, with it being shot on high-grade 35mm film, and having a beautiful visual aesthetic that drives home the fact that McQueen began his career in the visual arts.
Of course, considering the subject matter, SHAME is not for everyone. It’s a harrowing piece of work, and thoroughly disturbing. It demands a lot from it’s audience, but if you’re the adventurous type, who doesn’t mind being challenged by a film, than SHAME is something that deserves your attention.